Robert S. Root-Bernstein

This is a fascinating overview of the scientific basis and potential benefits of such folk remedies as honey-sugar wound bandaging, geophagy, circumcision, maggots, wound-licking (even cross-species!), leeches, and more. I wish the section on quackery was more in depth, but the section on how the economics of health care in American means low-cost and proven folk remedies can never be offere on scale as their is not the profit possibility to support approval. One potential example is show more Dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB), a chemical used in color photography processing, that could be beneficial to those dealing with AIDS. show less

Interesting information, but watered down at most times and overly preachy at others. I understand that old remedies are the basis for modern medicine and that sometimes today we do things medically that are just as baseless as the "ancient" or "old-wives tales" - but that doesn't necessarily mean we should stick to the old ways.

The author's attempt at defining the science/medicine behind the tales was a nice start. What I'd like to have read was more than a start. Plenty of authors have show more successfully melded difficult to understand facts with entertainment. This was more of a light read, which unfortunately left me wanting more. show less

I think I mentioned this in one of my earlier posts, but this book is *super* heavy on research and interviews, which I wasn't expecting. There are some portions that are pretty hard to wade through, but the last chapter really redeemed it for me.

An exploration of the core of scientific discovery unveiled in a fictional six day colloquium between six characters. Using dialectice to teach the science of science, telling the story of history. A kind of heuristic courtship of science, perhaps stimulating students and faculty. With detailed References, Notes and brief Index.

The text addresses the fact that scientists today seem to be unaware of history, even the history of science. [342]. There is no question that many scientists and show more literary people know little of each others' work. The author seems surprised by the "discovery" that unexpected surprises are the result of the logic of research. [426] The Imp of his imagination says: "It doesn't matter what we've accomlished here--or whether we've accomplished anything. The only important thing is what effect it has." [426] {what?}

Even a small thing might change the world. Discover. Look for the problem not just the "solution". show less